South Shore families savor Sox parade

Scores of local families that made the trip into Boston for Saturday's World Series parade, the third Sox celebration since 2004 and the eighth championship parade since 2002, including the Patriots, Celtics and Bruins. Rich Skowyra, of Hanover, attended the parade with his wife Beth and their 15-month-old son, Zach. Rich went to the 2004 Sox parade when he was still in college.

By Patrick Ronan

The Enterprise, Brockton, MA

By Patrick Ronan

Posted Nov. 2, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 2, 2013 at 2:14 AM

By Patrick Ronan

Posted Nov. 2, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 2, 2013 at 2:14 AM

BOSTON

» Social News

Bert McMahon of Plymouth held his 17-month-old granddaughter, Emma, in his arms while they waited for the world champions to roll by. About four rows deep on Tremont Street, McMahon wore a jacket from the 1967 "Impossible Dream" season, paying tribute to the past while reveling in the here and now.

"This is outstanding," McMahon said shortly before 10 a.m., at least an hour before the duck boats holding the World Series-winning Red Sox were expected to come by. "To have my granddaughter here to see her first parade, it's so special."

The McMahons were among thousands of local families that made the trip into Boston for Saturday's parade, the third Sox celebration since 2004 and the eighth championship parade since 2002, including the Patriots, Celtics and Bruins. Rich Skowyra, of Hanover, attended the parade with his wife Beth and their 15-month-old son, Zach. Rich went to the 2004 Sox parade when he was still in college.

"It's different than in '04 - with a family," he said. "It was more of a party then."

Saturday was a party for Rob MacDonald, 16, of Braintree, who took the train into the city with about 20 of his friends from Braintree High School, or "Wamp Nation" as he called them. MacDonald was 4 years old when the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2002, and there have been seven Boston titles since.

"He's got Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins (championships) in his short 10 years," Howsberger said of Dominic, who was rocking the fake beard. "He's pretty lucky."

McMahon attended the 2004 parade and said there seemed to be twice as many people at that celebration because it had been 86 years since the Sox last won the crown. He said the 2013 Red Sox, sort of like the 1967 team, surprised a lot of people.

"Unexpected," he said. "It was a fun, hard-working team we could all rally around."

For 15-month-old Zach Skowyra, who wore a Red Sox winter cap while sitting in a stroller on Tremont Street, Saturday's festivities will likely be forgotten when he comes of school age. But that doesn't mean he wasn't enjoying his surroundings.

"He liked the train ride," his mom, Beth, said. "It was his first time on the T."